Design Blog

Simon Beck doesn't hit the slopes like the average skier. Instead of shredding powder, he patterns it by strategically schlepping in snowshoes. His snow art designs are awesome on their own, and the in-context shots almost look like digital overlays. It would be awesome to glimpse a bit of the planning behind these and see a stop-motion process video.

Nike has long been at the forefront of sport design, but lately it seems that the fusion of art, tech, innovation and athletic performance in all their new products is off the charts. From the introduction of the Fuel Band I posted about last month, to the new woven Flyknit Racers and additions to the Nike+ line, their new athletic tech not only looks beautiful, it engages consumers.

Chicago-based photographer and designer Paul Octavious's portfolio is as varied as it is impressive. With projects ranging from gorgeous Record Stills to smoke bomb documentation and aerial stills, he made it difficult to decide on something to share.

I enjoyed these abstracted and geometric superhero portraits from illustrator and photo-retoucher, James Reid. The New Zealand-based creator uses perfect color palettes and just the right amount of abstraction and grittiness to make these character illustrations feel more like fine art pieces.

On February 14, 1946, the US Army finished building the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the world’s first general-purpose electronic computer—a system larger than my apartment. ENIAC was originally created with the intent of calculating artillery firing tables for the Army’s Ballistic Research Laboratory.

This poster design is officially on the wish list, if not just because it's clever and funny, then also because it's a good reminder to find balances. Joey Roth—the man behind the infamous Ceramic Speakers—drew up the Charlatan, Martyr, Hustler graphic for “Hustle,” the first issue of 48 Hours Magazine.